Programming for Android

♠ Posted by Unknown in Mobiles at 01:36

Techniques and tools to make an Android application on the desktop or directly on the mobile.

Android was a startup specializing in creating software for mobile and had 8 employees in 2005. Their first idea was to turn to Samsung for funding, but the meeting did not go well. The team of the startup went to Seoul to demonstrate Android, which was a different system by running applications before a panel of engineers and officers of the Korean company who have been unconvinced. When the team left the room, the assembly to burst out laughing!

A few weeks later, Android was acquired by Google for $ 50 million. And one more laughs at Samsung, which now represents 80% of mobile sales equipped with this system.

Google has federated a quantity of mobile players around her initiative in a entity called Open Handset Alliance whose logo is displayed on the right. It includes Telfonica operators like Telecom Italia, phone manufacturers including LG, Motorola, Samsung, founders of components: Intel, Nvidia, Texas Instruments and players in the Net as eBay.

An open platform

Android, besides the operating system is a user interface and a platform with basic applications created by Google. Being open, it will allow independent programmers to create software for mobile.
The main advantage over existing systems such as Windows Mobile, and access to equipment will be complete when he was so far limited. An SDK is already available for developers.
Applications provided by Google include Gmail, Google Mobile (search engine), Calendar, Docs, YouTube, Maps ...

RenderScript is a 3D rendering API using the graphics processor and Android 3.0 available for the tablets.
However it is expected in the near future to merge Android 2 and 3, so we should be able to also use a day smartphones.
This interface which is part of the SDK is programmed in a language similar to the C compiled into intermediate code.

Dalvik is the virtual machine that interprets the object code from compiling a Java source (or other language).

To cope with the drawbacks possibly result from the lawsuit filed by Oracle against Google on Dalvik, the virtual machine for Android, which has the disadvantage of not having been produced by them, Fosdem foundation launched the draft version Android based entirely on code under GNU license GNUDroid. The project described in a conference applelée IcedRobot appears to have resulted and remained frozen.

In fact, there is a fully open source release of Android AOSP offered by Google and used by all. It was used by Nokia for its smartphones X and X + in 2014.

See diagram showing how Android is built and the system description from the perspective of its programming.

Programming tools for Android

The new version of the SDK for Android 3.0 still contains an emulator to test applications on a virtual mobile. It is applicable to both smartphones as tablets and supports larger screens. To do this, the user interface has been completely redesigned.
New components are added to the library. The applications have been rewritten for a more intuitive use.
The URL support M3U lists expected to watch TV on a tablet with a software like VLC.

Terminal IDE. Command line and Java development tools and C for Android. This will work directly on the mobile. Git is included in the IDE.
App Inventor. Abandoned by Google but maintained by MIT, who is the creator, this tool can automatically generate an application.
HELP. Another IDE to develop directly on the mobile. Compatible with Eclipse.
Eclipse. IDE now supports Android.
ARM Tools. Extension to Eclipse for programming in native code.
The SDK. Development kit. See also NDK. To program in C ++ and produce native code.
Other tools

BlueStacks. A plugin to run Android applications on Windows or iOS. This can help test their applications to replace the slow emulator, or develop more universal applications.
Mono for Android. Programming in C # with Dalvik as a backend.
On {x}. Strangely proposed by Microsoft, allows you to program a remote Android mobile with JavaScript code. In addition we connect with your Facebook account! The computer has no boundaries!
Cryanogenmod. Offers an Android fork with additional functions.
Documents

Android and Nexus One. Android vs iPhone.
Open Handset Alliance. Android committee.
First demonstration video.
Which target Android version? Usage statistics.